There is “ample evidence” that the presence of human antidepressants in EU water sources is leading to considerable harm to aquatic environments, the European Commission has said.
Writing in response to an MEP question about the issue, outgoing Green Deal chief Maroš Šefčovič confirmed that “certain pharmaceuticals are posing problems in rivers and thus to human and animal health”.
“[T]there is a high level of attention at EU level to the toxicity of pharmaceuticals in the environment and action is being taken to better monitor and reduce the presence of pharmaceutical residues in water bodies, including through funding research and innovation,” he said.
Šefčovič’s statement served as a reply to Greek Socialists and Democrats (S&D) MEP Sakis Arnaoutoglou, who expressed that the use of antidepressants in Europe was leading to environmental harm.
“Recent scientific studies and publications show that the pollution of aquatic ecosystems with pharmaceutical substances, in particular antidepressants such as fluoxetine, seriously impacts the body conformation and the behaviour of fish,” he said.
“These antidepressants enter aquatic ecosystems through wastewater. They reduce sperm vitality and motility in male fish, negatively impacting the ability of these fish to survive and reproduce. This raises serious concerns regarding the impact on aquatic life at large and on ecosystems.”
Arnaoutoglou went on to described these developments as “concerning”, before asking the Commission to confirm the concrete actions it is taking to deal with the problem.
Germany’s Environment Agency has announced it rejected carbon credits for 215,000 tons of CO2 emissions from oil companies due to suspected fraud involving climate projects in China. https://t.co/D56vuwrEl8
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